Publicity is Publicity Right?

Love it or hate it, media is here to stay. And as the CEO, Head of Marketing, Sales Director, Accountant, Writer, Designer, Web Master, Trainer, Coach and Cleaner of a new business, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be featured in a special sports edition of a locally produced magazine. I’ll admit that I was disappointed when they wanted me for ice hockey and not kettlebells. Sure I play hockey, but my livelihood and passion is fitness coaching with the “iron balls with handles”. But publicity is publicity right?

Well that’s sort of what I thought. The photo shoot was really fun. A great photographer coaxing a threatening look after having sprayed me with a liter of water which gave me the giggles. I could barely keep my eyes open for the camera and was overheating in all that gear. Thankfully, like an awesome professional, he got the shot he needed very quickly. Good thing I showered and washed my hair before? Eh, not really.

In addition to a short bio of myself that expanded on my relationship with hockey, I sent a full listing of my fitness and training credentials to the photographer.

Assumption Versus Reality

Now I knew another person was to be highlighted as a kettlebell athlete. Having worked high level marketing for an investment bank for years, I know how THAT game is played and get why it wasn’t to be me. But being the first and only SFG II & CK-FMS in Dubai let alone the Middle East, a female and sole entrepreneur – I figured that one of those facts could have been interesting to the publication. Nope. What the author/editor/whoever glommed onto was Vinyasa, TRX and ACE. All good qualifications, but none of which in the areas that give me as much hockey related benefit as kettlebell training. And this is the problem with media. You don’t ever really know what they are going to say, omit or even infer.

3 Media Takeaways

I went in knowing full well that it was not to be an article about me. It was an expose about women in sport in the UAE. And I’m certainly not completely turned off by the idea of media coverage. This is simply an example of what can happen when you do not have full control over the message that is being broadcast about your or your business. And it applies to any business without a strong Public Relations effort massaging and managing your brand in the public eye.

Since few of us can afford that type of PR effort, here are three takeaway lessons for fitness business owners wanting to market their business through media attention…so you can come a little nearer to the message that YOU want portrayed.

Media is a business. They may be all “nicey-nicey”, but are not your friend. Don’t overshare.

The goal of reporting is not to bring facts to readers/listeners, or even the news. It’s to sell advertising space on their platform. You are a tool for them to do that.

Don’t give them any information you really don’t want focused on. Keep it short, to the point.

ABOUT KULT Fitness

Want to get fitter, stronger, leaner and move better? KULT Fitness can help. With over 19 years of fitness industry experience, coaching young, old, fit, unfit, athletes, couch potatoes, healthy, injured and everything in between, I’ve helped thousands of people change their lives and bodies through fitness. Why kettlebells? Let’s face it, life’s busy. And in properly trained hands, kettlebells deliver one of the most effective and efficient cardio, strength, fat burning and mobility sessions you can get, in less time than traditional workouts.

KULT is Dubai’s only specialized kettlebell training studio. Personally trained by Pavel Tsatsouline of StrongFirst and formerly the RKC, I bring expert kettlebell and bodyweight coaching to personal training students, group training and to instructors looking to prepare for advanced kettlebell certifications.